Cell signaling via 3′-phosphorylated phosphoinositides has been implicated in a variety of cellular processes, e.g., malignant transformation, growth factor signaling, inflammation, and immunity (see Rameh et al., J. Biol Chem, 274:8347-8350 (1999) for a review). The enzyme responsible for generating these phosphorylated signaling products, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase; PI3K), was originally identified as an activity associated with viral oncoproteins and growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases that phosphorylates phosphatidylinositol (PI) and its phosphorylated derivatives at the 3′-hydroxyl of the inositol ring (Panayotou et al., Trends Cell Biol 2:358-60 (1992)).
The levels of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate (PIP3), the primary product of PI 3-kinase activation, increase upon treatment of cells with a variety of stimuli. This includes signaling through receptors for the majority of growth factors and many inflammatory stimuli, hormones, neurotransmitters and antigens, and thus the activation of PI3Ks represents one, if not the most prevalent, signal transduction events associated with mammalian cell surface receptor activation (Cantley, Science 296:1655-1657 (2002); Vanhaesebroeck et al. Annu. Rev. Biochem, 70: 535-602 (2001)). PI 3-kinase activation, therefore, is involved in a wide range of cellular responses including cell growth, migration, differentiation, and apoptosis (Parker et al., Current Biology, 5:577-99 (1995); Yao et al., Science, 267:2003-05 (1995)). Though the downstream targets of phosphorylated lipids generated following PI 3-kinase activation have not been fully characterized, it is known that pleckstrin-homology (PH) domain- and FYVE-finger domain-containing proteins are activated when binding to various phosphatidylinositol lipids (Sternmark et al., J Cell Sci, 112:4175-83 (1999); Lemmon et al., Trends Cell Biol, 7:237-42 (1997)). Two groups of PH-domain containing PI3K effectors have been studied in the context of immune cell signaling, members of the tyrosine kinase TEC family and the serine/threonine kinases of the AGC family. Members of the Tec family containing PH domains with apparent selectivity for PtdIns (3,4,5)P3 include Tec, Btk, Itk and Etk. Binding of PH to PIP3 is critical for tyrsosine kinase activity of the Tec family members (Schaeffer and Schwartzberg, Curr. Opin. Immunol. 12: 282-288 (2000)) AGC family members that are regulated by PI3K include the phosphoinositide-dependent kinase (PDK1), AKT (also termed PKB) and certain isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC) and S6 kinase. There are three isoforms of AKT and activation of AKT is strongly associated with PI3K-dependent proliferation and survival signals. Activation of AKT depends on phosphorylation by PDK1, which also has a 3-phosphoinositide-selective PH domain to recruit it to the membrane where it interacts with AKT. Other important PDK1 substrates are PKC and S6 kinase (Deane and Fruman, Annu. Rev. Immunol. 22—563-598 (2004)). In vitro, some isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC) are directly activated by PIP3. (Burgering et al., Nature, 376:599-602 (1995)).
Presently, the PI 3-kinase enzyme family has been divided into three classes based on their substrate specificities. Class I PI3Ks can phosphorylate phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate, and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate (PIP2) to produce phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PIP), phosphatidylinositol-3,4-biphosphate, and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate, respectively. Class II PI3Ks phosphorylate PI and phosphatidyl-inositol-4-phosphate, whereas Class III PI3Ks can only phosphorylate PI.
The initial purification and molecular cloning of PI 3-kinase revealed that it was a heterodimer consisting of p85 and p110 subunits (Otsu et al., Cell, 65:91-104 (1991); Hiles et al., Cell, 70:419-29 (1992)). Since then, four distinct Class I PI3Ks have been identified, designated PI3K α, β, δ, and γ, each consisting of a distinct 110 kDa catalytic subunit and a regulatory subunit. More specifically, three of the catalytic subunits, i.e., p110α, p110β and p110δ, each interact with the same regulatory subunit, p85; whereas p110γ interacts with a distinct regulatory subunit, p101. As described below, the patterns of expression of each of these PI3Ks in human cells and tissues are also distinct. Though a wealth of information has been accumulated in recent past on the cellular functions of PI 3-kinases in general, the roles played by the individual isoforms are not fully understood.
Cloning of bovine p110α has been described. This protein was identified as related to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein: Vps34p, a protein involved in vacuolar protein processing. The recombinant p110α product was also shown to associate with p85α, to yield a PI3K activity in transfected COS-1 cells. See Hiles et al., Cell, 70, 419-29 (1992).
The cloning of a second human p110 isoform, designated p110β, is described in Hu et al., Mol Cell Biol, 13:7677-88 (1993). This isoform is said to associate with p85 in cells, and to be ubiquitously expressed, as p110β mRNA has been found in numerous human and mouse tissues as well as in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, Jurkat human leukemic T cells, 293 human embryonic kidney cells, mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, HeLa cells, and NBT2 rat bladder carcinoma cells. Such wide expression suggests that this isoform is broadly important in signaling pathways.
Identification of the p110δ isoform of PI 3-kinase is described in Chantry et al., J Biol Chem, 272:19236-41 (1997). It was observed that the human p110δ isoform is expressed in a tissue-restricted fashion. It is expressed at high levels in lymphocytes and lymphoid tissues and has been shown to play a key role in PI 3-kinase-mediated signaling in the immune system (Al-Alwan et al. JI 178: 2328-2335 (2007); Okkenhaug et al JI, 177: 5122-5128 (2006); Lee et al. PNAS, 103: 1289-1294 (2006)). P110δ has also been shown to be expressed at lower levels in breast cells, melanocytes and endothelial cells (Vogt et al. Virology, 344: 131-138 (2006) and has since been implicated in conferring selective migratory properties to breast cancer cells (Sawyer et al. Cancer Res. 63:1667-1675 (2003)). Details concerning the P110δ isoform also can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,858,753; 5,822,910; and 5,985,589. See also, Vanhaesebroeck et al., Proc Nat. Acad Sci USA, 94:4330-5 (1997), and international publication WO 97/46688.
In each of the PI3Kα, β, and δ subtypes, the p85 subunit acts to localize PI 3-kinase to the plasma membrane by the interaction of its SH2 domain with phosphorylated tyrosine residues (present in an appropriate sequence context) in target proteins (Rameh et al., Cell, 83:821-30 (1995)). Five isoforms of p85 have been identified (p85α, p85β, p55γ, p55α and p50α) encoded by three genes. Alternative transcripts of Pik3r1 gene encode the p85α, p55α and p50α proteins (Deane and Fruman, Annu. Rev. Immunol. 22: 563-598 (2004)). p85α is ubiquitously expressed while p85β, is primarily found in the brain and lymphoid tissues (Volinia et al., Oncogene, 7:789-93 (1992)). Association of the p85 subunit to the PI 3-kinase p110α, β, or δ catalytic subunits appears to be required for the catalytic activity and stability of these enzymes. In addition, the binding of Ras proteins also upregulates PI 3-kinase activity.
The cloning of p110γ revealed still further complexity within the PI3K family of enzymes (Stoyanov et al., Science, 269:690-93 (1995)). The p110γ isoform is closely related to p110α and p110β (45-48% identity in the catalytic domain), but as noted does not make use of p85 as a targeting subunit. Instead, p110γ binds a p101 regulatory subunit that also binds to the βγ subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins. The p101 regulatory subunit for PI3Kgamma was originally cloned in swine, and the human ortholog identified subsequently (Krugmann et al., J Biol Chem, 274:17152-8 (1999)). Interaction between the N-terminal region of p101 with the N-terminal region of p110γ is known to activate PI3Kγ through Gβγ. Recently, a p101-homologue has been identified, p84 or p87PIKAP (PI3Kγ adapter protein of 87 kDa) that binds p110γ (Voigt et al. JBC, 281: 9977-9986 (2006), Suire et al. Curr. Biol. 15: 566-570 (2005)). p87PIKAP is homologous to p101 in areas that bind p110γ and Gβγ and also mediates activation of p110γ downstream of G-protein-coupled receptors. Unlike p101, p87PIKAP is highly expressed in the heart and may be crucial to PI3Kγ cardiac function.
A constitutively active PI3K polypeptide is described in international publication WO 96/25488. This publication discloses preparation of a chimeric fusion protein in which a 102-residue fragment of p85 known as the inter-SH2 (iSH2) region is fused through a linker region to the N-terminus of murine p110. The p85 iSH2 domain apparently is able to activate PI3K activity in a manner comparable to intact p85 (Klippel et al., Mol Cell Biol, 14:2675-85 (1994)).
Thus, PI 3-kinases can be defined by their amino acid identity or by their activity. Additional members of this growing gene family include more distantly related lipid and protein kinases including Vps34 TOR1, and TOR2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (and their mammalian homologs such as FRAP and mTOR), the ataxia telangiectasia gene product (ATR) and the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). See generally, Hunter, Cell, 83:1-4 (1995).
PI 3-kinase is also involved in a number of aspects of leukocyte activation. A p85-associated PI 3-kinase activity has been shown to physically associate with the cytoplasmic domain of CD28, which is an important costimulatory molecule for the activation of T-cells in response to antigen (Pages et al., Nature, 369:327-29 (1994); Rudd, Immunity, 4:527-34 (1996)). Activation of T cells through CD28 lowers the threshold for activation by antigen and increases the magnitude and duration of the proliferative response. These effects are linked to increases in the transcription of a number of genes including interleukin-2 (IL2), an important T cell growth factor (Fraser et al., Science, 251:313-16 (1991)). Mutation of CD28 such that it can no longer interact with PI 3-kinase leads to a failure to initiate IL2 production, suggesting a critical role for PI 3-kinase in T cell activation.
Specific inhibitors against individual members of a family of enzymes provide invaluable tools for deciphering functions of each enzyme. Two compounds, LY294002 and wortmannin, have been widely used as PI 3-kinase inhibitors. These compounds, however, are nonspecific PI3K inhibitors, as they do not distinguish among the four members of Class I PI 3-kinases. For example, the IC50 values of wortmannin against each of the various Class I PI 3-kinases are in the range of 1-10 nM. Similarly, the IC50 values for LY294002 against each of these PI 3-kinases is about 1 μM (Fruman et al., Ann Rev Biochem, 67:481-507 (1998)). Hence, the utility of these compounds in studying the roles of individual Class I PI 3-kinases is limited.
Based on studies using wortmannin, there is evidence that PI 3-kinase function also is required for some aspects of leukocyte signaling through G-protein coupled receptors (Thelen et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 91:4960-64 (1994)). Moreover, it has been shown that wortmannin and LY294002 block neutrophil migration and superoxide release. However, inasmuch as these compounds do not distinguish among the various isoforms of PI3K, it remains unclear from these studies which particular PI3K isoform or isoforms are involved in these phenomena and what functions the different Class I PI3K enzymes perform in both normal and diseased tissues in general. The co-expression of several PI3K isoforms in most tissues has confounded efforts to segregate the activities of each enzyme until recently.
The separation of the activities of the various PI3K isozymes has been advanced recently with the development of genetically manipulated mice that allowed the study of isoform-specific knock-out and kinase dead knock-in mice and the development of more selective inhibitors for some of the different isoforms. P110α and p110β knockout mice have been generated and are both embryonic lethal and little information can be obtained from these mice regarding the expression and function of p110 alpha and beta (Bi et al. Mamm. Genome, 13:169-172 (2002); Bi et al. J. Biol. Chem. 274:10963-10968 (1999)). More recently, p110α kinase dead knock in mice were generated with a single point mutation in the DFG motif of the ATP binding pocket (p110αD933A) that impairs kinase activity but preserves mutant p110α kinase expression. In contrast to knock out mice, the knockin approach preserves signaling complex stoichiometry, scaffold functions and mimics small molecule approaches more realistically than knock out mice. Similar to the p110α KO mice, p110αD933A homozygous mice are embryonic lethal. However, heterozygous mice are viable and fertile but display severely blunted signaling via insulin-receptor substrate (IRS) proteins, key mediators of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 and leptin action. Defective responsiveness to these hormones leads to hyperinsulinaemia, glucose intolerance, hyperphagia, increase adiposity and reduced overall growth in heterozygotes (Foukas, et al. Nature, 441: 366-370 (2006)). These studies revealed a defined, non-redundant role for p110α as an intermediate in IGF-1, insulin and leptin signaling that is not substituted for by other isoforms. We will have to await the description of the p110β kinase-dead knock in mice to further understand the function of this isoform (mice have been made but not yet published; Vanhaesebroeck).
P110γ knock out and kinase-dead knock in mice have both been generated and overall show similar and mild phenotypes with primary defects in migration of cells of the innate immune system and a defect in thymic development of T cells (Li et al. Science, 287: 1046-1049 (2000), Sasaki et al. Science, 287: 1040-1046 (2000), Patrucco et al. Cell, 118: 375-387 (2004)).
Similar to p110γ, PI3K delta knock out and kinase-dead knock-in mice have been made and are viable with mild and like phenotypes. The p110δD910A mutant knock in mice demonstrated an important role for delta in B cell development and function, with marginal zone B cells and CD5+ B1 cells nearly undetectable, and B- and T cell antigen receptor signaling (Clayton et al. J. Exp. Med. 196:753-763 (2002); Okkenhaug et al. Science, 297: 1031-1034 (2002)). The p110δD910A mice have been studied extensively and have elucidated the diverse role that delta plays in the immune system. T cell dependent and T cell independent immune responses are severely attenuated in p110D910A and secretion of TH1 (INF-γ) and TH2 cytokine (IL-4, IL-5) are impaired (Okkenhaug et al. J. Immunol. 177: 5122-5128 (2006)). A human patient with a mutation in p110δ has also recently been described. A taiwanese boy with a primary B cell immunodeficiency and a gamma-hypoglobulinemia of previously unknown aetiology presented with a single base-pair substitution, m.3256G to A in codon 1021 in exon 24 of p110δ. This mutation resulted in a mis-sense amino acid substitution (E to K) at codon 1021, which is located in the highly conserved catalytic domain of p110δ protein. The patient has no other identified mutations and his phenotype is consistent with p110δ deficiency in mice as far as studied. (Jou et al. Int. J. Immunogenet. 33: 361-369 (2006)).
Isoform-selective small molecule compounds have been developed with varying success to all Class I PI3 kinase isoforms (Ito et al. J. Pharm. Exp. Therapeut., 321:1-8 (2007)). Inhibitors to alpha are desirable because mutations in p110α have been identified in several solid tumors; for example, an amplification mutation of alpha is associated with 50% of ovarian, cervical, lung and breast cancer and an activation mutation has been described in more than 50% of bowel and 25% of breast cancers (Hennessy et al. Nature Reviews, 4: 988-1004 (2005)). Yamanouchi has developed a compound YM-024 that inhibits alpha and delta equi-potently and is 8- and 28-fold selective over beta and gamma respectively (Ito et al. J. Pharm. Exp. Therapeut., 321:1-8 (2007)).
P110β is involved in thrombus formation (Jackson et al. Nature Med. 11: 507-514 (2005)) and small molecule inhibitors specific for this isoform are thought after for indication involving clotting disorders (TGX-221: 0.007 uM on beta; 14-fold selective over delta, and more than 500-fold selective over gamma and alpha) (Ito et al. J. Pharm. Exp. Therapeut., 321:1-8 (2007)).
Selective compounds to p110γ are being developed by several groups as immunosuppressive agents for autoimmune disease (Rueckle et al. Nature Reviews, 5: 903-918 (2006)). Of note, AS 605240 has been shown to be efficacious in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis (Camps et al. Nature Medicine, 11: 936-943 (2005)) and to delay onset of disease in a model of systemic lupus erythematosis (Barber et al. Nature Medicine, 11: 933-935 (205)).
Delta-selective inhibitors have also been described recently. The most selective compounds include the quinazolinone purine inhibitors (PIK39 and IC87114). IC87114 inhibits p110δ in the high nanomolar range (triple digit) and has greater than 100-fold selectivity against p110α, is 52 fold selective against p110β but lacks selectivity against p110γ (approx. 8-fold). It shows no activity against any protein kinases tested (Knight et al. Cell, 125: 733-747 (2006)). Using delta-selective compounds or genetically manipulated mice (p110δD910A) it was shown that in addition to playing a key role in B and T cell activation, delta is also partially involved in neutrophil migration and primed neutrophil respiratory burst and leads to a partial block of antigen-IgE mediated mast cell degranulation (Condliffe et al. Blood, 106: 1432-1440 (2005); Ali et al. Nature, 431: 1007-1011 (2002)). Hence p110δ is emerging as an important mediator of many key inflammatory responses that are also known to participate in aberrant inflammatory conditions, including but not limited to autoimmune disease and allergy. To support this notion, there is a growing body of p110δ target validation data derived from studies using both genetic tools and pharmacologic agents. Thus, using the delta-selective compound IC 87114 and the p110δD910A mice, Ali et al. (Nature, 431: 1007-1011 (2002)) have demonstrated that delta plays a critical role in a murine model of allergic disease. In the absence of functional delta, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) is significantly reduced and can be attributed to a reduction in allergen-IgE induced mast cell activation and degranulation. In addition, inhibition of delta with IC 87114 has been shown to significantly ameliorate inflammation and disease in a murine model of asthma using ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation (Lee et al. FASEB, 20: 455-465 (2006). These data utilizing compound were corroborated in p110δD910A mutant mice using the same model of allergic airway inflammation by a different group (Nashed et al. Eur. J. Immunol. 37:416-424 (2007)).
There exists a need for further characterization of PI3Kδ function in inflammatory and auto-immune settings. Furthermore, our understanding of PI3Kδ requires further elaboration of the structural interactions of p110δ, both with its regulatory subunit and with other proteins in the cell. There also remains a need for more potent and selective or specific inhibitors of PI3K delta, in order to avoid potential toxicology associated with activity on isozymes p110 alpha (insulin signaling) and beta (platelet activation). In particular, selective or specific inhibitors of PI3Kδ are desirable for exploring the role of this isozyme further and for development of superior pharmaceuticals to modulate the activity of the isozyme.